Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
With France being the Country of Focus at the 53rd IFFI, it’s time for an immersive French Film experience
“It is a big thing, a dream for an actor to do a family film”: Actor Aurelien Recoing
“India is a big, big country. It would be great to be seen by the Indian audience”: Director Pierre Coré
#IFFIWood, 24 November 2022
Belle et Sébastien: Nouvelle Génération is a French film that narrates the story of 10-year-old Sebastien’s encounter with Belle, a dog. The film premiered at the ongoing 53rd edition of the International Film Festival of India.
Director Pierre Coré at the ‘IFFI Table Talks’
This year at IFFI 53, France has been chosen as the festival’s Country of Focus, in reciprocity of India being named the Country of Honour at the Marche du Cinema of the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the country’s Independence.
Director-Producer, Pierre Coré, stated in the ‘IFFI Table Talks’ organized by Press Information Bureau  that it was a big pressure on him to play with the characters as Belle and Sebastian are very famous characters in France, portrayed in several TV shows from the 60s and even Japanese anime. He said, “It’s not a domestic master-pet relationship, but a friend and an evolved human-animal relationship”.
Cast & Crew of ‘Belle et Sébastien: Nouvelle Génération’ at the ‘IFFI Table Talks’
Recounting his experiences and decision of coming on this project, Aurelien Recoing, Actor and an acclaimed screen veteran said that having done independent films, he was so happy to receive this proposition. “It is a big thing, a dream for an actor to do a family film”. Belle et Sébastien dwells on varied subjects – family, the struggles of a single women and the fight between complexities of human life and death.
“I am the Father. I am not in the trailer”. Laughing off his remarks the ace actor said, “I’m a big surprise in the film. My role is portrayed as a bad guy who wants territory. It’s a fight, it pushes the film farther than the forests and mountains. It’s a strong portrayal of family, the relationship between father and son”.
The director, Pierre Coré recounted,“It was a challenging experience shooting with the dog and a child character. I auditioned over 2000 kids before choosing the final child actor.”
Responding to a question by the media on how the new version of Belle et Sébastien would be different for the audience, the director clarified that it has been molded to the contemporary times. Ecology is the new idea in the movie, and that makes it different from the earlier versions.
He concluded on an optimistic note by saying,“India is a big, big country. It would be great to be seen by the Indian audience”.
Still from the film ‘Belle et Sébastien: Nouvelle Génération’
Synopsis:
Belle et Sébastien: Nouvelle Génération is a story of a child Sébastien, who is spending his vacation in the mountains with his grandmother and aunt. Helping them with the sheep is hardly an exciting prospect for a city boy like him, until his encounter with Belle, a huge dog mistreated by her owner. Ready to do anything to fight injustice and to protect his newfound friend, Sébastien will spend the craziest summer of his life.
Cast & Crew:
Director: Pierre Coré
Producer: Sidonie Dumas, Clément Miserez, Matthieu Warter
Screenplay: Cécile Aubry, Alexandre Coffre, Pierre Coré
Cinematographer: Gilles Porte
Editor: David Menke
Cast: Robinson Mensah Rouanet, Michèle Laroque, Alice David, Caroline Anglade
2022 | French | Colour | 96 mins.